Common sense tells us that we gain weight by eating too much food.

Common sense tells us that we gain weight by eating too much food. So then it seems logical to simply eat less (or much less) in order to lose weight faster. What’s wrong with this reasoning?

As most veterans of the Yo-Yo dieting trap know, if they eat a low amount of calories (500 – 1000 per day) they will lose weight; however, they also know that as soon as they come off their diet the weight comes back and sometimes they gain even more weight. The next time they diet, weight loss becomes more difficult.

The human body is not designed to survive on such a low calorie diet. When a person tries to lose weight quickly by eating minimally, the body reacts by entering a “starvation” sequence, burning fewer calories to protect fat stores. As an efficient, organic machine, the human body will burn its most readily available fuel source first. Unfortunately, when using a starvation diet to achieve fast weight loss, the body burns muscle first, which is most easily converted into glucose.

Ironically, people who try to lose weight by eating a low calorie diet end up with a higher body fat ratio than before they started the diet because their muscle has been consumed and replaced with fat.

So, is there a safe way to make a low calorie diet effective for weight loss and prevent the Yo-Yo effect from happening? Yes – with the use of hCG.

What is the hCG diet?

The hCG diet generally consists of a low caloric intake, however, this low calorie diet has a bioidentical hormone helper; hCG.

Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is a bioidentical hormone originally produced by the placenta during pregnancy and plays a number of roles in the fetal cycle. It also has uses as a fertility support at very high does.

Unlike normal low calorie diets, the hCG diet helps safely achieve weight loss of about a pound a day. In relation to weight loss, hCG has a few key functions:

• First, hCG prevents the body’s starvation response from being triggered, keeping lean muscle tissue and the fat that protects our vital organs intact.
• Second, hCG helps mobilize fat stores to be used as fuel by the body. In essence, your body begins feeding itself fat stores to make up for a decrease in calories, resulting in rapid weight loss, and a contouring effect. Because the body’s adipose fat stores are located in the thighs, hips, stomach and other “hard to lose” places, hCG dieting produces a noticeable change to the shape of the body instead of simply the number on the scale. hCG prevents the muscle, bone, and organ loss associated with traditional low calorie diets.
• Finally, the use of hCG reduces the cravings, headaches, and fatigue normally associated with low calorie diets by modulating hypothalamic regulatory centers and resetting metabolism to a fat burning rate.

Though studies debate the effectiveness of hCG for weight loss, claiming that weight loss is expected with a low calorie diet, they have not addressed the fact that body fat percentage has decreased. The hCG dieters have protected themselves from serious health risks associated with low calorie diets and have kept their lean muscle mass and necessary fat deposits intact.

There are countless success stories using hCG for weight loss, and many report the same things: their cravings for sugars and high calorie foods have subsided, many of their other health symptoms have begun to clear up, and most importantly, they have maintained their weight loss and have broken free of the Yo-Yo dieting trap.

What’s The Bottom Line?

• hCG, in combination with a low calorie diet, will allow the body to access stored fat and preserve lean muscle mass

A low calorie diet alone will not access stored fat in the "hard to lose" areas, and most weight loss will be seen in undesirable places such as the face, lower arms, heels, legs, etc.

• Low calorie weight loss without hCG will also result in the sagging of skin due to loss of lean muscle and its structural support
• hCG achieves effects by working on the hypothalamus, resetting cravings and metabolic point, not seen by low a calorie diet alone

The Austin Wellness Clinic offers a number of hCG weight loss programs, working with people to achieve their specific weight loss goals - however big or small - and improve overall health and vitality.

Find out more about our hCG weight loss programs

The news channel KXAN NBC 36 in Austin, TX will be running a story on HCG and its use for weight loss on Tuesday, May 12th during the 10:00 P.M. newscast. The Austin Wellness Clinic will be featured as a provider for HCG weight loss programs and HCG injections. Two of our patients will be speaking on their personal experience, and how HCG helped them lose weight. Dr. Haest and Dr. Bellonzi will also be giving a brief overview on HCG for weight loss, how it works, and its medical history.

Never heard of HCG for weight loss? Be sure to catch the news story, or read on for more info!

What is HCG?

Human chorionic gonadotropin, more commonly known as HCG, is a bioidentical hormone produced by the fetus during pregnancy. HCG plays a number of roles in the pregnancy cycle, from protecting the ovaries and maintaining progesterone levels to aiding in the immune tolerance of the pregnancy. HCG is also very effective for weight loss as it targets abnormal fat deposits and has a protective effect on lean muscle.

HCG and Weight Loss

Until recently, the use of HCG for weight loss had been a subtle blip on the weight loss radar. HCG has been used by fertility clinics for many years, but its use as a weight loss aid had been mainly reserved for celebrities as a way to lose weight quickly. HCG has only recently become popularized by books like Kevin Trudeau’s The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About and others. However, HCG’s application to weight loss was first discovered in the late 1960's by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, a British endocrinologist. Today HCG is being used all over the world as a safe and effective tool for losing weight.

HCG Weight Loss Programs at Austin Wellness Clinic

Austin Wellness Clinic is the first clinic to offer HCG weight loss injections in the area, and is conveniently located just south of Downtown. Thousands of patients in Austin have benefited from the Austin Wellness HCG weight loss program, and our results are consistently better than other weight loss programs due to our close medical supervision, doctor-patient relationships, bioidentical hormone therapy, and lifestyle education courses.

Click here to find out more about HCG and weight loss

Question: Is it possible to lose weight by eating instead of dieting?

The idea of losing weight by eating seems counter-intuitive, but when we take a closer look, weight loss depends on WHAT you eat, not necessarily how much you eat.

Question: Is it possible to lose weight by eating instead of dieting?

The idea of losing weight by eating seems counter-intuitive, but when we take a closer look, weight loss depends on WHAT you eat, not necessarily how much you eat. As the mainstream diet becomes increasingly comprised of processed foods, high-fructose corn syrup, and non-organic produce, it is important to focus on where your food comes from, and most importantly, what’s in it. Here are a few nutrients that will help you lose weight fast, and keep it off.

1. OMEGA-3s

Studies show that people who consume a healthy amount of Omega-3s are able to burn fat 26% more effectively than those who do not. Omega-3’s help to significantly lower insulin levels in the blood, making one’s own fat available to burn as fuel. Lower insulin levels are also important in the prevention of diabetes.

Suggested foods containing Omega-3s: Tofu, enriched eggs, shrimp, salmon, tuna, walnuts, flax, and flaxseed oil.

2. CALCIUM

Sufficient intake of calcium has been shown to reduce the incidence of weight gain in postmenopausal women by 11%, and increased the likelihood for women to maintain and even lose weight, according to a recent study by the Women's Health Initiative, which included over 36,000 women in the U.S. aged 50 to 79. Weight loss and regulation was especially effective in women who were already deficient in these crucial nutrients.

Suggested foods containing Calcium: Almonds, Oats, dark leafy vegetables (such as kale), salmon, and mackerel.

3. VITAMIN D

Vitamin D helps aid in proper thyroid function. A condition called hypothyroidism, or when the thyroid gland is underactive, has been linked to vitamin D deficiency. A person who is vitamin D deficient will have more difficulty losing weight. Through proper thyroid function, vitamin D helps regulate the metabolism and can aid in weight loss and weight management.

Suggested foods containing Vitamin D: Soy milk, tofu, salmon, mackerel, catfish, and fish oil.

4. FIBER

Eating foods that are high in fiber will not only provide the body with valuable nutrients, but are typically low in calories, and have a high satiety point; in other words, they make you feel more full, which lowers food intake and helps you lose weight faster. Additionally, foods high in insoluble fiber, or fiber that won’t dissolve in water, help to pull carbohydrates along the digestive track quicker, keeping blood sugar levels even, which also helps with weight loss.

Suggested foods containing Fiber: Brown rice, oatmeal and oat bran, barley, whole grain breads and cereals, carrots, apples, pears, citrus fruits, artichokes and beans.

5. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 speeds up the metabolism, allowing the body to burn calories at a faster rate. It is also sometimes known as the “energy vitamin” because it increases the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin helps red blood cells transport oxygen to all parts of the body. An increase in hemoglobin makes fuel consumption more efficient, which produces a boost in energy. Increased energy helps aid weight loss by reducing stress and depression, helping people stay motivated with their diets, and increasing the ability to exercise.

Suggested foods containing Vitamin B12: Nutritional yeast with B12, Soy milk fortified with B12, dairy products, and eggs.

Dr. John Haest is the medical director of Austin Wellness Clinic. He currently supervises a wellness weight loss program, anti-aging, human performance, allergy resolution and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, and addresses adrenal and thyroid issues and nutritional deficiencies. More About Dr. Haest

Question: What can I do to lose weight?

Patients routinely ask me for advice and tips on how to accelerate their weight loss. Perhaps they expect an intricate or lofty answer, but the truth of the matter is that we must get back to the basics.

Question: What can I do to lose weight?

Patients routinely ask me for advice and tips on how to accelerate their weight loss. Perhaps they expect an intricate or lofty answer, but the truth of the matter is that we must get back to the basics. I find that in most cases, abnormal weight gain is caused by maladaptive lifestyle issues. To initiate a life long change, we must start with the basics – how we eat, sleep, exercise, reduce stress, and enjoy our lives. Here are a few tips!

Get Enough Sleep. “Early to bed, early to rise, makes one pound losing wise.” Research has shown higher levels of glucose in those who sleep between 4 to 7 hours each night. This means that your body’s metabolism slows down with consistent lack of sleep. Researchers say that this can occur with only 6 nights of sleep deprivation. Studies also show that every hour of sleep before 12 midnight is two times as valuable as each our after midnight, so get to bed early!

Eat Right! This simple concept will make all the difference in the world. Eat foods that are less refined/ processed, and closer to their natural form. Avoid fast foods, and foods with high sugar content or high-fructose corn syrup. Eat fresher, real foods, and make sure to get plenty of fiber. Trade in that cherry coke for some real cherries. Skip the apple pie for a while and stick to a nice juicy apple. There are plenty of foods out there that will satisfy your taste buds without tormenting your body… Keep yourself accountable! Get a glycemic index chart, eat foods that are 55 or lower on the chart.

Drink Right! Here’s another no-brainer. The best possible thing you can drink is water! With the advent of high-fructose corn syrup and other super sugars, most sodas, energy drinks, and other leisure libations are packed full of sugary calories (Statistics show that Americans drink 20% of their overall calories). Water is the primary foundation of the human body and has seemingly countless imperative functions, from toxin elimination and help in the digestion process, to transporting nutrients to our calorie burning cells. So next time, reach for the good old H2O. And make sure the water is filtered, don’t drink tap water. Tap water is full of chemicals, including high levels of chlorine and halogens.

Learn How To Cook. The plain and simple truth is that cooking food at home is healthier (and cheaper!) than eating out. However, eating microwave dinners, cooking with high amounts of salt and fat, or loading up on desert are sure fire ways to circumvent your weight loss goals. Buy a healthy themed cookbook or look up recipes online. Eating at home can not only help you lose the pounds in the right places, but also keep your wallet from losing them too.

Practice Conscious Eating. Our fast food culture endorses speed eating and large portions. One of the draw backs of our human anatomy is our stomach’s slow response time. It is quite possible to eat twice the amount of food our bodies need in a single sitting. When we eat too fast, our stomach doesn’t have enough time to tell us we’re full. The simple act of chewing food adequately and taking smaller bites allows our stomach’s response system to trigger the “I’m full” switch. Studies have also shown that chewing food more thoroughly actually makes you feel more full and helps digestion. So slow down speed racer…enjoy your food.

Chill Out. Stress and overeating are old pals. We as Americans consistently try to comfort ourselves with food. Had a bad day? Eat a pint of ice cream. NO! Instead of focusing on the stressful points of our lives and counteract them, we try to eat our way to consolation. The next time you find yourself reaching for the cookies and cream at the ice box, try hiking, meditation, breathing, yoga, playing with your pets, spending time with your family, or any other wonderful natural stress reliever. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll save yourself from unneeded calories, and burn some extra ones while you’re at it.

Don’t skip breakfast! As counterintuitive as it may seem, it is highly possible to under-eat and be overweight. If you starve yourself, your body goes into survival mode, storing the calories you do intake and feeding on your muscle tissue for energy. It is also important to eat breakfast to help jumpstart your metabolism for the day. Eating smaller portions of healthy food throughout the day will help keep your metabolism at top speed, and allow your body to feed on its fat reserves instead of its muscle tissue. Be sure to eat protein at every meal.

Exercise Is Not Enough. Many people believe they can eat what they want as long as they are exercising and then wonder why they can’t get rid of that spare tire. Exercise in combination with a healthy diet and a happy, stress free mind is the best way to lose weight and keep it off.

Dr. John Haest is the medical director of Austin Wellness Clinic. He currently supervises a wellness weight loss program, anti-aging, human performance, allergy resolution and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, and addresses adrenal and thyroid issues and nutritional deficiencies. More About Dr. Haest

Question: Why is junk food bad for blood sugar?

You probably have been to the zoo and seen the sign “Don’t Feed the Animals”. Think about that for a minute.

Question: Why is junk food bad for blood sugar?

You probably have been to the zoo and seen the sign “Don’t Feed the Animals”. Think about that for a minute. What you’re eating, likely what your kid is eating, is not suitable for animals. In other words, they put that sign up so you won’t throw the junk that you’re eating at the zoo because you’ll make the animals sick.

Stop and think about that for a minute. If you’re eating healthy food, they wouldn’t have to worry about this.

Ideally, your blood sugar should be pretty steady throughout the day. For most people it’s normal and okay if there is a little bit of a rise after you eat. Meaning that you eat some food, your blood sugar goes up but it comes right back down and your energy is pretty steady throughout the day. You should be sleeping well. You should get up ready and raring to go. Your energy should stay fairly steady throughout the day and you should nicely fall asleep. That’s what we’re looking for. But, if your blood sugar’s all over the place, or it stays above normal and healthy levels, then you’re going to find out soon that you’ve got problems. It can be the beginning of most every problem out there. Lack of control of blood sugar is part of what we call metabolic syndrome.

Now some people, or the majority of people actually, have a rise in blood sugar and then a fall actually below the level where they started. That’s called hypoglycemia. What happens is this person ate enough sugar that it ran their blood sugar really high and then the pancreas had to put out a whole bunch of insulin to try to bring that back down, but it usually over responds. So it put out more insulin than it really needed. Ideally, when I’m fasting, I shouldn’t have any insulin. I should have used it up. It was dosed just right then. But I test a lot of people. I do their fasting insulin. It’s going to tell me much more than just their fasting blood sugar level because it tells me if they’ve got excess insulin around. This means that they put out too much. Well if you put out too much insulin, you’re going to drive your blood sugar lower than it should be. And now I’m hypoglycemic. I don’t even have enough blood sugar to keep awake. My brain has to almost shut down. I get crabby. I get cravings. You can probably describe people that are that way. You know, the person that has their coffee and donut and they’re up and they’re all happy in the morning and then through the midmorning they kind of die off and get crabby and then they grab another cup of coffee and it’s just an up and down all day. You can only go on with that for so long and then the body’s not going to keep up. And when it’s not keeping up we call it Diabetes, because you reach a point where you can’t even maintain your blood sugar level.

The blood sugar goes up and it just doesn’t seem to come down. And that’s because I cannot put out enough insulin, at the level of sensitivity that I have to my insulin or from some other reason ( it’s usually insulin insensitivity in Type II Diabetes). But I just can’t bring my blood sugar level down. That’s dangerous. You don’t want to get sugar that has that high glycemic index that shocks the body over and over again because there will reach a point where you just can’t keep up anymore. So we want to maintain those blood sugar levels and that’s why we’re talking about the lower glycemic indexed foods. You want to preserve lean muscle mass, keep your metabolic rate up where it should be and give yourself that steady stream of energy. If you eat low glycemic index, you’re going to be eating vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. You’re going to be eating foods that don’t cause that moderate to severe blood sugar response. That’s our first objective, to get you to stop doing that so much if you’re doing it now.

Remember, high glycemic foods are your processed foods, your cereals, your pastas, anything that’s processed. It’s in a sense predigested with less nutrient density. Your body’s designed to eat something, break it down, extract nutrients and get rid of the waste. But what most of us do is to choose foods that are easier to digest almost in a sense, but they’re hard on the body because things get in too much of a concentration too quickly and they cause a problem. If you use lower glycemic index foods, you’re going to be eating the high fiber foods, You’re going to be eating the nutrient dense foods. You’re going to be eating real food. You want to eat what comes from Mother Nature. New to nature molecules, anything that’s processed, I don’t care if we’re talking about drugs or food, are detrimental to your body. Your food is really having the biggest affect on your health.

So how do you make better choices? Glycemic index. Remember glycemic index is a measure of how quickly your consumed food becomes blood sugar. White sugar and white bread were used as the standards. They were set at 100. But there are a lot of foods indexed higher than 100 meaning that when you eat them, they become blood sugar even faster than white bread or white sugar. But there are a lot of foods, the better choices, that are lower than 100. In fact, I’d like your goal to be 55 or less as far as the glycemic index of each food.

You can check out the glycemic index food chart on our website to find foods that have a low glycemic index, and the ones that are higher and should be avoided.

So, I would like you to start learning about glycemic index and using that to make your food choices. It makes it a lot easier if you understand each food’s glycemic index. Simply try to choose each food individually with that lower glycemic index. That’s going to force you to eat vegetables, proteins, fruits, things that are less of a problem for the body. If you’re eating a lot of processed foods, which are the junk foods, you’re going to be eating those higher numbers. So again, start using the glycemic index because that’s your first step toward health.

At the Austin Wellness Clinic, Dr. Bellonzi specializes in nutrigenomics, or the interaction between genetics and nutrition. Along with Dr. John Haest, MD, he has been developing protocols for adrenal function, anti-aging, hormone balance, human performance, allergy resolution, detoxification, and neurotransmitter balance. Dr. Bellonzi provides human performance testing, nutritional counseling, chiropractic, personal training, coaching and metabolic testing services. He also treats multiple conditions including headaches/migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, neck and lower back injuries, shoulder, wrist, and knee injuries. More about Dr. Bellonzi

hCG and Weight Loss

hCG Reduces Cravings

hCG helps to modify eating behavior by targeting the hypothalamus, thus reducing caloric intake. The hypothalamus in the brain regulates the homeostatic control of food intake by receiving, coordinating and responding to metabolic cues and signals from the digestive system. By integrating these metabolic signals, the hypothalamus tells us when we need to eat to maintain a body weight “set point,” much like a thermostat set on a specific temperature. Therefore, the activity of the hCG on the hypothalamus helps to regulate food intake and reduce cravings.

hCG “targets” fat in those hard to lose places

When administered in small daily doses, hCG helps to mobilize fat deposits that have formed around the hips, thighs, abdomen, and upper arms. Once this fat has become mobile within the body, it is available for use as a source of fuel. This open access to the hip and waist fat actually facilitates a “targeted” weight loss in people who find it difficult to lose it in these places after a history of dieting. hCG biochemically targets these hard to lose areas and results in weight loss that cannot be achieved by dieting alone.

No “sagging”

Perhaps you have noticed that people who have lost weight quickly often have excess skin that has commonly been termed “sagging.” When looking for energy, your body will look for the easiest energy source first. As a result, lean muscle mass is often burned by the body before fat when dieting. Thus, we observe the loss of shape and contour that occurs with the loss of lean muscle tissue.

We can avoid the complication of dieting by maintaining lean tissue and targeting the right fat. Because hCG targets only stored fat deposits, the body’s structural fat and visceral fat, found in muscles and around the organs, is left intact. The result is safe, rapid weight loss, with average weight loss of about thirty pounds per month, or one pound per day. In contrast to other forms of weight loss, the use of hCG, along with exercise and a caloric restriction, produces a more immediately noticeable effect because all of the fat being burned is directly targeted at the common problem areas. In essence, hCG not only helps with weight loss, but actually helps to reshape the body and maintain or improve health.

Is hCG safe?

Recently, with the publication of Kevin Trudeau’s book, “The weight loss cure they don’t want you to know about,” hCG has become popular among dieters as a weight loss aid. hCG’s implication in unwanted fat reduction was, however, first publicized by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons in his 1954 report entitled, “Pounds & Inches”. hCG has thus been successfully and safely used since the mid -1950’s as an effective weight loss tool with minimal reports of side effects.

Though Dr. Simeons' report drew some attention at the time, it would be several years before the idea of the 'hCG diet' would catch on. Today there are numerous clinics offering hCG treatment and weight management plans. hCG has been approved by the FDA for many medical applications with a vast number of anecdotal reports on hCG's effectiveness for weight loss, and the improved quality of life of its users. Schedule your free consulation today to find out how Austin Wellness Clinic can help you reach your goals!

1. Grapefruit. A study conducted at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, CA showed that eating half a grapefruit prior to a meal helped induce weight loss. The study also included grapefruit extract in pill form, and grapefruit juice, and though both worked, the people who ate real grapefruit lost the most weight. Red grapefruit also helps to lower triglycerides, and all grapefruit contain cancer-fighting compounds including lycopene and liminoids. With only 39 calories per half, eating grapefruit can be a tasty, low-fat treat.
2. Pumpkin. Yes, they taste amazing as pie, and make great jack-o'-lanterns, but they’re also one of the best weight loss foods you can eat. Pumpkins are low in calories and high in fiber, making them ideal for losing those pounds. Not only are they easy to cook and prepare, pumpkins taste great with other healthy additives like cinnamon (helps lower blood sugar), nutmeg, and almonds.
3. Green Tea. Of course green tea is not a food, but it has far too many benefits to be left off the list. First of all, green tea increases the metabolic rate and speeds up the body’s ability to oxidize fat, helping people lose weight. Some studies have shown the magic weight losing number to be five cups per day. Other benefits of green tea include increased heart health, a high amount of antioxidants, blood sugar and body temperature regulation, digestion assistance, and natural stress relief.
4. Kale. Eat your greens! Kale is one of those forgotten foods that should be reintroduced to your weight loss diet. One cup contains a measly 34 calories, and a whopping 1.3 grams of fiber. It is also high in iron (necessary for oxygen transportation to your entire body), and calcium (to keep those bones strong). Can’t get used to the taste? Try spinach, which is also nutrient rich, with a less bold taste.
5. Oats. Oatmeal’s satiety ranking is the highest of any food, meaning you feel more full after eating a bowl of oatmeal than the same amount of anything else. Oats contain up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, some of which being the cancer-fighting insoluble fiber. Soluble fibre helps to lower LDL cholesterol without lowering HDL cholesterol, increasing the health of the body’s circulatory system, and lowering the risk of heart disease.
6. Lentils. Lentils are another great source of both types of dietary fiber and are high in protein. They help to maintain blood sugar levels, regulating the body’s production of insulin. Drastic increase in insulin levels has shown to trigger fat production, particularly in the abdominal area.
7. Goji berries. These tasty little berries make a great snack for curbing hunger. Containing 18 amino acids, they are a great source of protein and only contain 35 calories per tablespoon. Goji berries have a lower glycemic index than most fruits, meaning they are absorbed into the body more slowly, thus satisfying the appetite.
8. Buckwheat Pasta. Another fiber all-star, buckwheat also contains protein, which is uncharacteristic of other grains used in pasta. This combo helps keep you feeling full and prevents overeating.
9. Chili Peppers. Chili peppers contain a compound called capsaicin which has a thermogenic effect on the body. After eating a food infused with chili, the body will burn off extra calories for 20 minutes or so. Spicy food also helps regulate eating speed, reducing overeating.
10. Quinoa. This whole grain is a great source of both protein and fiber (5.2 grams per cup), and makes for a great rice or gluten supplement. Quinoa is a complete protein source (which is not characteristic of grains), and contains a balanced set of essential amino acids. It is also a great source of phosphorus, magnesium, and iron.
11. Tarragon. This herb, most famously used in French cuisine, is a great salt replacement for salad dressings and marinades. Tarragon helps reduce the bloating and water retention effects of excess sodium.
12. Avocado. Although the fat content may scare you (29 grams per avocado), don’t be too quick to rule this fruit out. Avocados are one of the best sources of monounsaturated fat, namely omega-6, and help to increase satiety, or the feeling of fullness. Avocados contain high amounts of other essentials, such as vitamin E and oleic acid.